Video Pro Tip: How to Tie a Tapered Dropper System

Here’s another great on-the-water tip from John Herzer of Blackfoot River Outfitters, in Missoula, Montana If you fish dry-dropper combinations, this may be a smack-your-forehead moment, as you ask, “Why didn’t I think of that?” As long as you’re not scared of knots, this is a great way to make your dry-dropper rigs cast better, avoid tangles, and keep the flies separate on the water.

By using a short piece of heavier tippet at the top of the dropper line and then attaching some lighter tippet, he creates a tapered dropper–which makes a heck of a lot of sense. Of course, you can adjust the tippet sizes of the tapered dropper in relation to the size of your main tippet. So, for instance, your system could look like this: 4X to the fly, 8 inches of 4X below the fly, attached to 18 inches of 5X. I can’t wait to give it a try.